I’m jaded. The truth is a bitter pill to swallow.
My first taste of love was my first betrayal.
Now, all I want is to start over, but they want my life.
Everyone says all’s fair in love and war.
Except I’m done playing fair.
I’m tired of turning my back on his darkness when it’s the light that always burns me.
I’ve danced with the devil. Now it’s time to become one.

Mateo

I’m a criminal. Let’s not sugarcoat the truth.
Her morals never had a chance in my corrupt world.
Now, all I want is to forget her, but they want her soul.
Loyalty is its own reward where I come from.
Except she’s become the prize.
They’ve taken my shining star and dimmed her light.
Some say I’m a monster. They haven’t seen anything yet.

This is a dark mafia romance STANDALONE.

EXCERPT:

His large palm still gripped my shoulder, and my hand shook as I squeezed his fingers. Electric shocks jolted up my arm, but I forced myself to maintain the contact, lifting our entwined hands and settling them between us. He watched every movement, his eyes never straying. It was as if once he looked away, the moment would evaporate.

I wouldn’t let that happen. This moment meant everything.

For years, I’d held onto the belief that he’d walked away from me without a second thought. I’d tried my best to hate him for the events that led up to his abandonment and the mind games that plagued me afterward. However, what he’d said to me at Brody’s left me starving for the truth. I had to know, even if what I found out left me in more jagged pieces than before.

“What did you mean when you said I didn’t know the whole story?”

“Now’s not the time for this, Leighton.” Mateo let out a heavy sigh and pulled away from me, severing our brief connection.

He could pull away all he wanted, but I wasn’t backing down. “Really? Where else do we have to go?”

His eyes narrowed. “You want to hear the truth?”

The sudden predatory danger radiating off him shook me. I was honestly confused if I did or didn’t, but I stood my ground. “I think I deserve it.”

Mateo let out a sardonic laugh. “You think this is about what you deserve?” He stalked toward me, backing me up until my spine bumped against the hard marble of the kitchen island. “What exactly do you think happened that night, Star? You think I just didn’t feel like having the perfect life with the perfect girl and decided to piss it all away?”

“I—I don’t…” My words broke off and stuck to the inside of my throat like molasses. All I could breathe in was the scent of his leather jacket as he planted a hand on either side of me. We were so close that if he took a deep breath, his black T-shirt would rub against my tank top and judging from the outline of the six-pack hugging the fabric, I wouldn’t survive the impact.

My gaze still traced the lines indenting his shirt when his hands settled on my hips, and I found myself being lifted into the air. My lips had just started forming the word “no” when my ass landed on the cold marble of the island with a hard slap, and Mateo slid in between my open knees.

“Have a seat, Star,” he said as if I weren’t already in place. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t speak. The deadly look in his eyes would’ve been enough to silence me. “What I have to say may knock you off that pedestal you’ve put yourself on.”

My chest heaved as he wedged himself tightly in between my legs.

“You think I sacrificed you? You immediately thought the worst and damned me without knowing the hell I went through. Get ready, little lamb. You’re about to find out the meaning of real sacrifice.”

Faded Gray Lines is best read after Blurred Red Lines – now available!

International bestselling author Cora Kenborn writes twisted romances about damaged bad boys and feisty heroines. She promises her readers a happily ever after, although she may or may not take them on an emotional rollercoaster before giving it to them. (Okay, she totally will.)

A Southern girl from North Carolina, Cora says “y’all” way too much and has a lifelong addiction to sweet tea. She refuses to “adult” without coffee, thinks pajamas are acceptable daywear, and considers note-taking during true crime shows to be perfectly normal. On the rare occasion that Cora has free time, she spends it avoiding laundry and convincing her family that Hot Pockets are an acceptable dinner.

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